Cat Scratch Fever
by Caroline Gottschalk Jackson
Summary: Kyo's dead and Haru has been running from the family. He's let Black Haru take over, but years after Kyo's death Haru come back home to find a new cat in the family. As Haru spends more time with the new kitten he begins to find himself agin. ok, summary
1. Prolouge

Prologue…

Haru stood in the rain letting it wash all over him. The rain mixed with his tears as silent sobs shook his body. It wasn't fair. He wasn't supposed to die, not like that, not yet. It wasn't his time. They had only just found each other…

He fell to the ground letting the body wracking sobs take over. The rain saturated ground soaked the knees on his pants and his fingers curled around the wet grass. By now Haru was completely soaked. Rain water dripped off of his white and black hair, but he didn't care. He didn't care that his throat was being ripped apart of his violent crying. He didn't care that Akito was watching him from the window of Shigure's house. All that he cared about was that Kyo was gone.

He squinted his eyes shut as memories flooded his mind. More sobs emitted as memories of when they held hands, when they kissed, when Kyo finally admitted that he loved someone. He had loved Haru. And Haru had loved him, more than anything. Before, he had only had eyes for Yuki, but after constant rejection and seeing more and more of Kyo, not Kyo the cat but Kyo the boy, he had fallen out of love for Yuki and in love with Kyo. Yuki would always be special to him. But Kyo…he was all Haru needed to be happy.

Now, he was gone. Shigure had called the main house; his strained voice had broken the news. Kyo had been walking home in the rain when a car had hit him. Kyo had been in his mood, the rain always did that to him. He had been out of it, wandering in a daze-like state. The car didn't see him walking in his dark clothes in the night. The road was wet, and the rest…

Kyo ended up in the hospital not breathing, no heart beat…no nothing. According to the doctors, and Hatori, he had died quick and painlessly. The way the car had hit him and the speed, there hadn't been any hope for Kyo. Haru had been stunned when Akito had told him, laughter in his voice, Haru never hated Akito more than he did right then.

It wasn't fair, Kyo had only been eighteen, he was too young to die. Haru had only had him for…not even a full year. Kyo had been what kept Black Haru away and now that he was gone. Haru's body shook as Black Haru broke through, and this time, Haru didn't think he'd ever leave.


	2. Chapter 1

Authors Note: Ok so now (in the story) its about 17 years after Kyo's death. For those of you who need it… Haru is 34 years old and Yuki is 35. Everyone else I'll let you figure out…

On with the story!

Chapter One

"Haru you need to come back, least for the New Year's dinner," Yuki's voice drifted through the phone receiver. "Everyone misses you; they all keep asking if you're going come this year. You know, it is your year to dance…"

"I'm not gonna fucking dance," Haru's stone cold voice cut off Yuki. A sigh came from Yuki's end of the line. "I don't care if everyone misses me. Fuck I don't give a shit about anything anymore…you know that."

"But can you blame me for trying? Momiji is…well…" Yuki's soft voice trailed off. "He needs you back here Haru. You're his best friend."

"I was his best friend. I don't need anybody anymore."

"Fine, be a bastard, you know Kyo would've wanted you to come. He knew how important family is…_was…_to you." When Haru didn't say anything Yuki continued. "Look I know you still miss him, I do too…"

"No you…"

"Not like you I don't though. I don't understand what you two had, but it was probably what I wish I could have with Tohru. Seeing everyone will help. I promise. I mean how do you think I felt without having that damn cat around challenging me to everything under the sun, but being with everyone…it eased the pain. Just come to the banquet. You don't have to dance."

Haru was quiet for along time as he thought about what Yuki had said. "Can I come and stay at your place?"

"Yeah…can you find it?" There was a hint of laughter in Yuki's voice.

"Not funny…I'll call a cab. I don't get so damned lost anymore."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that. When do you want to come?"

"Tomorrow?" Haru said slowly. "Can I come visit you at work?"

"Sure, you do remember that I work at the old high school."

"Yeah I know," Haru said his voice turning cold again. "I miss the fucking place. I mean Kyo and I had some…" A smirk crossed Haru's face. "moments there. Some real nice moments."

"I don't even want to know," Yuki said his voice sounding tired. "But yeah, just make sure you're at the school at lunch. I'll show you around, its changed a bit. And…"

"And?" Haru prompted when his cousin didn't finish his sentence.

"And, we have a cousin there. You've never met her, she was born a few months after you ran away…after the accident."

"Is she part of the zodiac?" Yuki let the question hang in the dead air between the phone lines.

"You'll just have to meet her," He said slowly. "You'll either love her or hate her. I'm not sure which yet…but she's colorful. We'll leave it at that."

"What do you mean "colorful" I hate color…"

"I know you do Haru."

"I like black and white."

"Of course you do. I'll see you tomorrow. You better show, otherwise I'll kill you."

"Yeah, yeah….later." Haru clicked the phone off and tossed it next to him on the couch. He glared at it for a few minutes before he sighed and fell backwards on the couch. Haru hated his apartment, but it had been his home for the past fifteen years. After Kyo had died Haru had retreated into the mountains. Black Haru had taken over more and would show up at the littlest things. He hated life, everyday he woke up longing for Kyo to be in his arms.

The apartment was a little hole in the wall. It was just one huge room. It had a fold out couch, a kitchenette, a dresser, a coffee table and a TV. The bathroom was at the end of the hall. It was nasty having to share the shower and whatnot with a bunch of strangers on his same floor. But over the years Haru had gotten used to it. Either that or he didn't care enough to have it freak him out anymore.

Haru's apartment was dingy. There wasn't anything nice about it, the only attractive quality were three framed pictures that sat on top of the TV. The frames were a bright, shiny silver and held photos of a grinning Kyo and Haru. Memories began to flood Haru's mind. He shut his eyes tight as he tried to block the memories. It wasn't right. He shouldn't be haunted by Kyo after all these years. Why couldn't he just accept the fact that Kyo was gone? Why couldn't he move on? Kyo would've wanted him to be happy. If the situation was reversed Haru wouldn't want Kyo to pine over him the way that he was pining over Kyo. But he just couldn't help it. He couldn't move on. It felt like if he did he'd betray Kyo.

Haru had told Kyo no matter what he'd love Kyo. Kyo had never been loved, not the way that Haru loved him. Haru loved him despite everything, and he didn't just love him because he was family. Haru was the first and only person to fully accept Kyo. And Haru had been the first person who Kyo allowed himself to love. If Haru moved on and found someone else, wouldn't he be abandoning Kyo?

The floorboards creaked as Haru stood up from the couch. Thinking about Kyo always made his head hurt. Or at least thinking about moving on from Kyo made his head hurt. He needed to get drunk. Real drunk. That was how he could escape the pain. Because when he was drunk Haru saw Kyo. When he was drunk they would kiss and hold each other. When he was drunk Haru felt complete with Kyo.

The neon sign above the bar glowed in the hazy night. A cloud of smoke surged out of the bar as Haru opened the door. The place was jammed packed with drunks and pool playing thugs. It wasn't Haru's bar of choice but it was the closest to home. It was hard to get too lost when the bar was two doors down and across the street.

Haru plopped onto a stool at the bar. Not five minutes after he had sat down did the bar tended saunter over. It was an older woman, the kind in their late forties that had fake tans and tried to look twenty. Her eyelids were coated in bright purple eye shadow and her lips were blood red.

"Hey sugar, what'll it be?" She smacked her gum and Haru shrugged.

"Whatever will knock me out the fastest," He answered, voice flat. The bartender nodded and went to fill a mug. Haru slid her the money before downing the frothy brown drink. And then, he sat there. For three hours he just drank and stared at the same spot on the wall across from him. More than once a girl would come up and try to flirt with him. Haru would just ignore them or tell them to fuck off. Needless to say after about the first two hours no one bothered him.

Soon the room got fuzzy and then the click came. Haru always got this click in his head when he was drunk. It was the click that told him to stop drinking and that he was drunk enough. After the click Haru stumbled to his feet and swaggered home. When he got inside his apartment he collapsed on the couch/bed.

"Haru, what the hell are you doing you stupid cow?" Haru smiled at the voice and slowly opened his eyes.

"Hey Kyo," His voice was slurred, but it didn't matter. He knew Kyo wasn't really there, but for awhile it felt like he was and that's all Haru needed. "I'm drunk."

"I can see that you idiot," Kyo said as he sat down on the couch next to Haru. He softly stroked the black and white hair. "You smell terrible."

"Yeah, I know." Haru took in a deep breath and sighed it back out. "I miss you Kyo. I miss you too much, it's driving me crazy."

"You stupid cow, its ok for you to move on you know. I know you love me but it kills me to see you like this. You bastard, you're not some drunk so stop acting like one." Kyo's voice was soft and caressed Haru's uneasy mind. "I know you've been avoiding everyone since the accident. Go back and see them all. I mean hell, if you need a reason go beat that damn rat for me."

Haru chucked. "Yeah, I'm going to see him tomorrow. I donno if I'm gonna go to the New Year's thing though. I haven't been in so long."

"I never got to go," Kyo said with a shrug. He pulled Haru into his arms. "But would it kill you to go and see everyone? They miss you. Hell, I think even Akito misses you, the fucker. He won't admit it though."

"You know what he did," Haru said. He felt his voice get tight and tears well up in his eyes. "The night we found out about you. He laughed. He fucking laughed. I almost killed him. They had to hold me back. Kyo, without you around I go black more and more…I hate it. God, I hate who I am."

"Stupid cow," Kyo said fondly and he hugged Haru closer to him. "Just go. They'll help. And who knows, maybe you'll meet someone who'll keep Black Haru away more than I could."

"You sucked at keeping him away. I mean sure he comes out more now that you're gone but half the time I was around you before we…you know…I'd go black."

"Yeah and it was not my fault you moron! I was always in a fight with that damn rat and then bam! Outta no where you'd want me to fight. You stupid cow…"

It was then that Haru fell into his drunken slumber. A sad smile plastered across his face.

When Haru awoke the next morning he was far from happy. Pain shout through his head as a night of drinking finally caught up with him.

"Shit," He muttered as he rolled over onto his stomach. He buried his face into his pillow, trying to block out the offending sunlight. The phone rang near-by his head and a loud groan escaped his lips. Blindly Haru felt around for the phone, after he answered it he could still hear ringing in his ears.

"Hello…"

"Haru, you're still coming today right?"

"Yuki?"

"No it's the godfather." Silence. "Yes it's Yuki. Are you drunk?"

"Was," Haru corrected his voice fuzzy. "Or still am… I have a hangover."

"You really are stupid sometimes."

"Whatever you damn rat, if I am it's your fault."

"I'm calling Hatori. He'll be over in a little while with his hangover stuff and he'll drive you here. And take a shower."

Yuki hung up with a click and Haru was left lying on his couch half dead from alcohol. He groaned before throwing the phone across the room and dragging himself out of bed. This was not going to be a good day. Why the hell did he agree to go see Yuki? Oh yeah, cause he pulled a 'Kyo would want you too' on him. Damn rat.

Haru stripped his clothes off before wrapping a towel around his waist. He then spent another five minutes looking for his shampoo. Luckily the shower was free when Haru got to the end of the hall. He stepped inside the bathroom and locked the door behind him. Stem poured out of the shower head as he turned the hot water all the way up. Haru loved hot showers; they were his relief from almost anything. He let the water soak him as he just stood there. A smile flickered across his face. Memories of when he and Kyo had shared the shower seeped into his mind.

(Memory…)

_Haru stood in the shower. Stem filled his lungs as he lathered his hair with soap. He wrinkled his nose. He hadn't showered in four days. He had been trying to get from the main house to Shigure's. Damn he hated getting lost._

_The bathroom door slid open but Haru didn't notice. Nice, hot shower. Nice, hot water. He did however notice when the shower door slid open. Kyo stood there with a towel wrapped around his waist and a smirk plastered across his face. _

_"Move over you stupid cow." Kyo stepped into the shower and threw his towel onto the bathroom floor before sliding the door shut. He turned and looked at Haru who just stared back at him blankly. But Kyo knew him better than that, he knew that Haru was grinning on the inside. _

_They kissed in the shower. Hot water running over them as their skin rubbed against each other. Hands explored wet, hot bodies. Needless to say Haru didn't stay very clean in the shower. Then again, neither did Kyo._

(End of memory…)

When Haru got out of the shower Hatori was already waiting for him in his apartment. A glass of a pinkish-brown liquid was sitting on his coffee table and Haru looked from Hatori to the glass.

"Is that it?" Haru asked as he slowly walked towards the glass.

"If you mean is that the hangover cure, then yes it is. I must warn you however that it doesn't taste all that well." Hatori's voice was smooth as always. It flowed over Haru and somehow coxed him to pick up the glass.

"Will it make the hangover go away?"

"Yes."

"Shit, then I don't care how bad it tastes," Haru muttered before he downed the drink. He scowled and shivered involuntarily at the taste.

"Hurry up and get dressed. I need to drop you off at the school and then get back to the main house, Akito has another high fever."

"Good," Haru said under his breath as he began to get dressed. He pulled on his usual uniform, black pants, black shirt, and a white jacket. He shook his hair dry and looked blankly at Hatori. "Alright, I'm ready."


	3. Chapter 2

Haru wandered around the halls of his old high school. It was lunch-time so all the students and most of the teachers were eating lunch in the cafeteria. That's where Yuki would be, now only if Haru could find the damn place. At the moment however, Haru didn't mind being lost. Each hall he went down triggered memories of him and Kyo, and he let himself remember them. He let them fill him, even if it made him miss Kyo more it was better to remember. Haru was looking out of a window when he heard two people enter the hall.

"Come on! You know you wanna fight me!" Haru turned at the voice. He saw a young girl, dressed in a boys uniform no-less, talking with Yuki. She was short and small. Everything about her was small. She had blond hair with streaks of orange that reached shoulders. She had a smirk on her face as she leapt out in front of Yuki.

"I'm not going to fight you," Yuki said calmly as he turned to the girl.

"Its cause you're scared huh? You're scared that I'll win! And you know I will!" The girl was practically bouncing with energy.

"If you keep this up I'm calling Tohru and telling her to make leeks for dinner…" Yuki didn't have much time to say anything else. The girl pounced on him as he pulled out a cell phone. Haru watching in amusement as the girl tackled Yuki to the ground and stole the cell phone from his hands.

"Ah HA!" She shouted as she jumped to her feet. "I won!..." She looked down at Yuki in shock for a second. "Wait, I won…what's the matter? I never win…are you sick?"

"No, I'm fine," Yuki muttered as he stood up from the ground. He snatched the cell phone from the girl and scowled at her slightly. The girl, however, didn't notice. She had a huge grin on her face.

"Haru?" Yuki said when he finally noticed his cousin. "Hey, glad you came."

"You didn't give me much choice," Haru said simply. "You called Hatori over and he practically dragged me here."

"Who are you?" The girl asked as she came to stand next to Yuki, her arms crossed over her chest.

"I'm Haru."

The girl blinked and looked over at Yuki. Yuki sighed and rolled his eyes.

"He's our cousin. The cow. The one who never comes to anything and the one you keep bugging me about. I swear stupidity must be a trait of the…" Before Yuki could finish the girl had jumped into fighting stance once again.

"Don't call me stupid you damn rat! Come on, I'm calling you out right here, right now." The girl glared at him and Haru felt a sharp pain as he realized that this girl was the cat. The cat was no longer his Kyo. It was this girl.

"You're the cat aren't you?" Haru said slowly, voicing his thoughts. The girl looked away from the perturbed Yuki.

"Yeah, I'm Leiko," She said as she turned to face him. She opened her mouth to say something but before she could her face paled.

"Tohru? You know I have this craving for leeks for dinner tonight…" Yuki was cut off by Leiko tackling him once again. She stole the phone and ran off with it into an empty class room. The door slammed shut behind her and Haru could hear Leiko telling Tohru that if they had leeks for dinner she would jump off the roof.

"So that was her?" Haru asked looking after the girl.

"Yes," Yuki said his voice cold. "That was her. She's even more annoying than Kyo…" He trailed off before realizing what he said. "I mean...she's crazy and I'll leave it at that."

"So, she lives with you and Tohru?" Haru asked ignoring Yuki's last comments. He wasn't sure what to think about this girl. It would be interesting to see how she affected him. Haru knew she would. But, he wondered, will it be in a good way or bad?

"Yes, she does. It's a long story."

"We have time," Haru commented absently.

"She'd been living abroad with her parents for a few years when Akito demanded that she stay in Japan. He was about to stick her in that house-cage as soon as she got here. Shigure changed Akito's mind so instead she wound up living with me and Tohru. However Akito plans to have her put away as soon as she turns eighteen."

"When's that?"

"In a few months."

"What's she like?" Haru asked after a few moment of silence.

"You mean is she like Kyo," Yuki said his purple eyes flashing. "Yes and no. She acts a lot like him but while Kyo reminded me of a cat she reminds me of a kitten. I think you two would be good for each other. She asks about you all the time. Or she started to when she found out about you and Kyo. She looks up to you, or what she's heard about you. And you, you just need somebody."

"Will I hate her, I mean for not being Kyo?"

"You don't need to be asking me that," Yuki said as he poked Haru in the chest. "Ask yourself that after you spend some time with her."

It was at that point when Leiko came out of the classroom beaming. "Ha!" She shouted. "We're so not having leeks! We're having mushroom soup!" Her red eyes flashed with mirth as a smirk grew over her lips.

"I hate mushrooms…" Yuki said slowly as his eyes narrowed.

"I know," Leiko commented. "If you won't let me fight you I'll totally beat you by being passive aggressive! HA!"

"You little…" Haru could tell that Yuki was seething with anger as he glared at Leiko. "Give me that cell phone."

The smirk on Lieko's face grew into a smile as she bolted down the hall way with Yuki hot on her heels. Yuki was right; she would be good for Haru, if not only to see Yuki be tortured by the cat, no by the kitten.

Authors Note: ok so after getting three chapters done I've finally decided to post this story. Hopefully since I already have three chapters done I'll actually finish this story. blushes and I know how this one is gonna end. It's just the middle stuff that kills me. Anyway reviews would rock my socks off. They really would. So till next time!


	4. Chapter 3

Haru spent the next hour or so wondering around the empty halls of the school. Lunch was well over and Leiko was hauled back into Yuki's class by a very annoyed rat. Things had changed to a degree at the school. It was weird being back in the building and having it void of any familiar face. Haru smirked as he finally found the stairway to his destination, the roof. His steel-toed boots thumped heavily against the stairs. When he reached the top of the stairs he hesitated at the doorway, his hand resting on the doorknob. Was he ready for what memories might come from the other side of the door? So many things had happened on the school roof. Could he handle the feelings that could come flooding back with the memories?

Slowly Haru turned the doorknob and as sunlight filled his eyes memories filled his mind…

_The roof. That's where Haru knew Kyo would be. He was always on the roof when he wanted to get away from everything. Haru hated any place that was of any sort of height. But for Kyo, that sort of thing didn't matter. He felt a surge of butterflies arise in his stomach as the sight of Kyo lying in the sun. They had gotten closer over the past few weeks and it was undeniable that there wasn't some kind of tension between the two, and Tohru was the only one who seemed to think the tension had something to do with fighting._

_"Hey," Haru said as he sat down next to the lightly slumbering cat._

_Kyo cracked open his ruby eyes and looked up at the cow sitting next to him. "Yeah? What'dya want?"_

_"You wanna skip?" Haru asked entranced by the captivating red eyes. Kyo rolled over onto his back and stared up at the sky. _

_"Yeah," He said after a few minutes. The light spring breeze tossed his orange locks around and Haru was tempted to run his fingers through what he imaged to be silky soft hair. "I think I'd like that." _

_Haru stood up and offered Kyo a hand. Without hesitation Kyo took the offered hand and let the cow pull him up. As they made their way to the door that lead off the roof Haru grabbed Kyo and spun him around and kissed him. There wasn't anything fancy or magical about it. It was everything a first kiss was supposed to be. It was awkward. Haru was terrified that Kyo was just going to pull away and beat the shit out of him. Then, when Kyo started to kiss him back, it was like the world fell away and nothing else mattered. _

_Haru was stunned to say the least. After the kiss was over a very goofy smile made its way across both the boy's faces._

_"Well…come on you damn cow," Kyo muttered a blush staining his cheeks the same color as his eyes. "You just gonna stand there or what! And wipe that damn smirk off your face!"_

_As Haru followed Kyo out of the school he couldn't contain his happiness, he had never felt like this before and it was something he didn't ever want to loose. _

Haru raised a hand to block the bright sun, and there she was. She was lying on her back, arms tucked under her head. She arched her back slightly as she looked back at Haru upside down.

"Oh hey, its you." She sat up and ran a hand through her hair. "What're you doin' up here?"

"Just wandering around," Haru said as he walked over next to Leiko. He looked her over not sure if he wanted to stay around her. She was too much like Kyo in some ways, he could already tell, but not enough like him to satisfy him by any means. "Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

Leiko snorted as she lay back down. "Yeah right, like I'm about to go back to class with that damn rat. We have a test today and after lunch this afternoon…I'd rather not fail 'cause he's mad."

"I donno how I feel about you," Haru was being blunt. He was good at that, most of the time it got the crap beat out of him but he wasn't one who liked to beat around anything.

"That's fine," Leiko said as she closed her eyes. "I donno how I feel about you either. I mean you were like in love with Kyo, so why should you like me? However I think I'd rather you hate me for being the cat instead of hating me for not being Kyo, too many people feel like that."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean like…Yuki he hates me right? With every fiber of his being, but sometimes…sometimes he hates me because I'm not Kyo. I donno, I think he was in love with him too; either that or it was some weird love-hate thing. I think that's part of the reason he doesn't fight me. Most of the other's are the same. So, if you decide to hate me, hate me 'cause I'm the cat. I can't compete with someone like Kyo."

A silence fell between the two. Haru mulled over what Leiko had said. He had never thought about it that way. It wasn't as if everyone was bending over backward for Kyo, but deep down they had all liked him, except for maybe Akito. Then there was this girl, born into the world not only cursed by the cat but also born into a family in mourning.

"So…how about I like you until further notice?" Haru glanced over at the slumbering girl. It was almost as if he could see Kyo, lying there arms pillowing his head, basking in the sun. Maybe it was dangerous for him to like this girl, she could bring all kinds of grief to him, but she was the cat. Haru was good at taking care of people, especially the cat.

"What?" Leiko was obviously surprised. She sat up like a lighting bolt and her orange-blonde hair spilled into her face. Under the surprised tone there was hope.

"Sounds like you need someone and Yuki seems to think you'll be good for me…" Haru trailed off. "You need someone to like you right? Well, I'm pretty good at liking the cat."

Leiko pondered what Haru was saying. His nose crinkled up in thought, something that Kyo never did, something that made Haru smile.

"Well…I donno, you sure you can handle it? Yuki said you were like, super manic depressed and just the color orange made you cry like a girl for months after…" Leiko kept relating what Yuki had told her about their cousin the cow, all the while Haru could feel his black-side slipping through.

"The bastard said I cried like a freaking girl? Oh that's it! First he makes me come here, goes on about freaking family ties and shit, AND he's been telling people I cry like some kind of pansy-ass girl!" And there it was Black Haru rearing its ugly head.

"Hey! What are you going on about! What's your problem anyway? You're like all super quite and calm and then BAM!" Leiko had jumped to her feet and was following Haru towards the door that lead the to stairwell.

"My problem is people who talk like they know everything." Black-Haru was fuming. What did Yuki know about him and his depression? Yuki had never been loved like Haru had been by Kyo.

"You talking about Yuki? Hey! You can't fight him! That's my job you damn cow! Damn it all if you fight him before I do I'll seriously murder somebody!" Black-Haru spun around and fixed Leiko with s fiery glare.

"What? You want a fight? You're itching for one aren't you? I can see it," Black-Haru advanced on Leiko; she stood there, never backing down. Anger was flashing through her eyes and her fists were clenched tight. "It's in your eyes. You're just dying to punch someone, to hear that sound of flesh on flesh."

"No you damn cow! I don't want any of that shit! I just want to beat that damn rat, but you, you're really getting on my nerves now! What's your deal? Are you like, schizophrenic or somethin'?"

Haru was surprised at how fast she moved. His punch would've taken anyone by surprise but it was like Leiko had sensed it. Every other punch he threw she ducked around. Finally she punched Haru in the face and shouted at him to take some sort of medication before she ran off.

Haru sat up dazed. After the initial shock of being punched had worn off, a small smile covered his face. Well at least one thing was the same; the cat could still knock him on his ass.

AN/ Ok so here's the deal. I know you people are reading this. I have like 213 hits to the damn story. Now, I'm not one to talk, I don't usually review…but here's the deal: you review and I'll read whatever you want me too and review every chapter. AND! I'll be nice about it!

Please review! I need the reviews to live! And I really love this story, I've actually had it in my computer for like two years now, well the first three bits. I will finish if you review…promise.

Also, not my favorite chapter, but I'm looking forward to the next one. Oh it'll be fun…lots of fun…hehehe.


	5. Chapter 4

"I think I went 'black' on Leiko today," Haru deadpanned as he healed his boots off. He followed Yuki into the house that he and Tohru shared. The house was small enough for three people to live comfortably and was built on Shoma land near Shigure's house.

"What do you mean, you think?" Yuki asked as he dumped his briefcase on a desk in what Haru assumed was the study.

"Well I sort-a blacked out and the next thing I knew Leiko had knocked me on my ass and was running off shouting about how I should be medicated before I could talk to her again."

"What set you off?" Yuki smiled at Tohru who had wondered into the study.

"Haru!" Tohru rushed over to Haru and was obviously resisting the urge to tackle the younger man in a hug. "It's so good to see you again! What do you want for dinner? Whatever's your favorite! It's a night to celebrate!"

Haru couldn't help but smile at Tohru. It was good to see her again after so long. Maybe Yuki was right, maybe seeing everyone would help out, because for the moment it didn't hurt as bad. Not when she smiled like that. Tohru had a special place in all the hearts of the zodiac and Haru was no exception.

"Whatever is fine," Haru said his smile fading ever so slightly. "I don't mean to impose."

"Oh no!" Tohru shouted waving her arms about. No, Haru mused to himself, Tohru hadn't changed a bit. "You're not imposing!"

"Then why don't you surprise me?"

A thoughtful expression settled on her face and Yuki looked up from a few tests that he had pulled out of his briefcase. "Have you seen Leiko? She ran off after lunch and missed a test."

"She came home about an hour ago and went up to the roof. Then I think she went to _her_ secret base. Or, maybe she went to the dojo?"

"No, she goes there Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday," Yuki said as he stuffed the tests back into the briefcase and then looked up at Haru. "Speaking of Leiko, what do you think of her?"

"Oh yes Haru," Tohru looked at Haru with conflicting expressions of excitement and anxiety playing across her soft features. "What do you think of her?"

Haru sighed and let his gaze wonder to the window. One thing was for sure; she wasn't Kyo. But he wouldn't want her to be. She was enough like him though to bring about fresh waves of heartbreak in the blink of an eye.

"She's different…" He began and looked back at his older cousin and his good friend. "I donno, she's not Kyo but she's a lot like him. We talked on the roof for a bit. And…I donno, I told her that for the moment I'd like her and then she…" Haru's eyes flashed. "Then she told me how you'd been telling her that I was crying like a girl after Kyo died."

Tohru sensing the impending danger of Black Haru pulled the cow out of the room and told him that she need him to go get Leiko from her secret base and that _she _couldn't do it because of dinner and Yuki couldn't do it because Leiko didn't want "that damn rat" to know about her secret base and she was sure that Leiko wouldn't mind if Haru knew about it. In the blink of an eye Haru had his boots back on and was standing out in the backyard.

"Just follow the path here," Tohru instructed knowing of Haru's terrible sense of direction and his habit of getting uncontrollably lost. "She goes there at least once every day so the path is pretty worn out." Tohru gave Haru that smile that made everything seem so much brighter. "It really is good to see you again. I'm glad you decided to come and visit."

Then she was gone, humming to herself as she went back into the house to start his "celebration dinner". Haru let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding and started down the path Tohru had pointed out to him.

The path cut through a patch of forest that grew increasingly denser the deeper he walked into it. After a few minutes of mindless strolling Haru began to hear Leiko's voice drifting from further along the path. As Haru got closer to a clearing he could see Leiko lounging on a tree branch above a headstone.

It was Kyo's grave.

A lump began to rise in Haru's throat. He hadn't been to the grave since Kyo had died. The funeral had been just too painful. Unlike most memories concerning Kyo, Haru had been able to block out the memories of the funeral. He wasn't ready for those to resurface. As they began to creep out from the years of repression Haru beat them back down. Only snippets escaped before he got everything under control again.

_The sea of people dressed in black…_

_The empty faces of those shaking his hand and offering their condolences…_

_Akito's face slightly peeking out from behind a fan, a grin lighting up his features…_

It took Haru a minute to realize that Leiko was talking to Kyo. She was telling him all about her day, all about everything.

"Oh yeah! I met your cow today," Leiko exclaimed suddenly perking up. "He seems pretty cool I guess. I mean I can see why you'd like him. He's pretty hot. Freaking moody though! I mean what the hell is up with his damn mood swings! They're like worse than PMS. But whatever…he misses you a lot. I can tell. Besides the fact that just looking at him you can tell he's giving off this super sad vibe, but he doesn't seem like the Haru in Yuki's stories…

"Speaking of that damn rat. He's really starting to get on my nerves! One of these days I'm going to get him to fight me. Damn it even if I loose at least I'll have won in some way. I totally had a passive aggressive win today though. That was a plus. But I skipped out on a test. Like hell I was gonna take it after pissing him off. Last time I did that I got a damn F, 'member?

"Oh yeah, and I was on the roof when I ran into your boyfriend again." Leiko sat up on the branch and crossed her legs. "He said he'd like me until further notice. But I donno, I mean…its like why trust him? I mean I know you liked him and that's good I guess but still…everyone else has bailed on me at some point or left me down, why get my hopes up?" Leiko was silent for a moment before she went on. "But I guess if I don't expect too much out of it I can't get hurt as bad if he decides to change his mind. No need to get attached anyway…not with graduation and my birthday coming up at the end of the year and all…"

Haru paused, knowing that if Leiko knew he was there and had been listening she'd knock him on his ass again and then some. However, he wasn't sure of her just finding him standing there would be any better. Haru was mildly surprised that he cared, but non-the-less he didn't want to prove her right. He wanted to show her that he wouldn't be like everyone else, he'd protect her the way he failed to protect Kyo.

"What are you doing here?" Leiko's voice snapped Haru out of his daze. She was looking at him through wary eyes. "How much did you hear?"

"Nothing really," Haru said with a shrug. "Mostly mumbles…"

"Are you medicated or something? I wasn't kidding last time, you're like uber-psycho when you…do whatever."

"When I go 'black'," Haru and Leiko started walking back towards the house. "That's what the other's call it at least." Leiko glanced over at him and squinted her amber eyes.

"Because I'm the ox, and they're black and white…" Haru said slowly. A scowl flashed across Leiko's face.

"I knew that," she snapped. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Leiko spoke up again. "So, Yuki says you're gonna stay through New Year's. Is that true?"

"Why? Do you care if I stay or go?" Haru asked smirking. Now that he knew the Leiko wasn't expecting him to really stick to his word about liking her he wanted more than ever to prove to her that he wouldn't let her down. If he thought about it hard enough maybe he was getting a second chance.

"I donno, maybe." Leiko kicked at a pebble and let out a deep sigh before looking up at Haru and smiling. "But if you do stay and go to that damn dinner you gotta bring me some of those honey deserts. I stole some last year but Akito found out…"

Haru felt the pull of Black Haru at the back of his mind. Akito, that son-of-a-bitch who had _laughed _when his kitten had died, it wasn't fair. Akito didn't deserve to live, it should've been him…

"Aww damn, there you go again," Leiko muttered as she tossed her hands up. "You and you mood swings! You damn bastard get some Midol or something!" She punched him hard in the shoulder and glared at him. "You're also going the wrong way you damn cow. Yuki said you had a bad sense of direction but this, this is just ridiculous…" Leiko continued to rant on about Haru and his personality problems and how she didn't care if it wasn't his fault and he should have _some_ form of self control and…Haru smiled as he followed her back into the house where Throu and Yuki were waiting, Yuki with an impish smirk on his face.

As soon as Leiko found out that Thoru had prepared leeks for dinner Leiko proceeded to climb up to the roof where she swore she was going to jump off. That was until Throu made Leiko rice-balls all with salmon and one with a plum. As the night went on and things settled down Haru realized that he had missed this. Maybe it was time for him to come home.

NOTE! Gods, finally an update. Believe me I've been working on this for a while. See, its hard for me because I want to keep Haru in character and I just have to think about it a lot and it takes a while for me to get it from my head to the computer. So, very sorry about not having updated since January, I know the feeling of wanting to keep reading and not being able to. Also, thanks so much to all of ya'll who have reviewed and those who haven't (though I wish you would), and in respects to the story I donno how many chapters this is going to be but I'm pretty sure it will be less than ten. I know how its gonna end and what all is gonna happen…but yeah, I don't want Haru to get OC so it might take while. That and I'm about to start college and I donno how that's gonna impact the story. But keep a look out and I'll keep working! THANKS AGAIN!


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